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TR2/3/3A Chassis paint questions

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Philthytoo

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As I get closer to a paint ready chassis on this TR2 project, my mind begins to question. I've spent a fair amount of time reading posts about correct colors and types of paint/coatings, has anyone tried using tractor paint? I get the POR15 thing, although since I'm starting with a no-rust (been in a garage in So Cal for 40+ years) frame, I'm thinking a quality paint over primer after sand blasting would work fine. This is not a concourse job, just a driver-quality re-build. I recently finished re-doing a Ford 8N tractor for a friend, and the oil-based enamel we used on that seemed bullet proof once it cured.
Thanks, Phil
 
Sounds good to me. Enamel is what they used in the day. Tractor paint probably means a heavy duty product, like marine enamel. However I bet when they took the lead out of paint a lot of things changed to more synthetic products, but I am not sure exactly what that means. Heck it is probably one of those deals that you get what you pay for, but again on some stuff they just raise the price, so do some research. Having said all that your frame sounds great, and the way you are going about it sounds great also. It will probably out last both of us.
steve
 
Tractor Supply TSC used to (don't know if they still do) sell a tractor paint with an optional hardener that you could add.

I used Eastwood Extreme Chassis paint on my 4A. Had to wait 7 days to re-coat but it dried hard after curing.
 
After going to the trouble of sandblasting the frame I would do the POR15 thing. That stuff sets like epoxy and on the frame you may not need to paint over it. I think it has to be protected from UV.

David
 
DavidApp said:
After going to the trouble of sandblasting the frame I would do the POR15 thing. That stuff sets like epoxy and on the frame you may not need to paint over it. I think it has to be protected from UV.

David
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:iagree: You have gone this far in prepping the frame that you might as well spend the extra $ and use POR15. I had my frame sand blasted and finished it with POR 15. It has held up extremely well. Once the body is on it will be protected from UV rays.
 
I have used an epoxy primer on all the cars I painted and it has stuck well to whatever I painted for years and years. I don't think they make it quite like they used to though. The stuff I used thirty (!!) years ago smelled nasty and went on an olive drab green. Once cured there wasn't really any way to get it off short of a grinder. I think the new stuff is pretty good too, but not necessarily the same.

I had trouble with POR bubbling, but I brush painted it, haven't tried spray. Once you open acan it has a pretty short shelf life, but for a big job like you are doing probably not much of an issue.
 
The "POR" part stands for "paint over rust." But if there's no rust...………? Tractor Supply's house brand of paint is Majic brand. It's an oil-based enamel, I believe it uses soybean oil in place of the petroleum bases of the stuff in the past. California being what it is, we can't get the real stuff here any more. We used Majic paint for the red stuff on the 8N, added the hardener, and with proper prepping and 2 coats of majic's primer, it appears rock solid after curing. I guess time will tell.
 
Philthytoo is correct. POR is best painted on rust. 2 things to do for the best adhesion. First sand blast to get the worst scaly rust off then paint over that. If you clean all the rust off all is not lost because what you should do in both cases is metal prep it. Especially if there is shinny metal say where you had to grind. POR will not stick to shinny bare metal.. If you are concerned about the UV rays dulling the POR finish then just before the POR cures you can spray or brush on a enamel paint over top. When I say just before it cures, touch it with your finger and it should be a light tack to the surface. If some POR sticks to your finger then wait a bit longer. Don't wait until it completely drys as nothing will stick to it.
I have a friend that has painted a few cars with paint from Tractor Supply. Looked ok. I think you can get very good results for only a few more $ if you use a acrylic enamel with a hardener. Used it myself with very good results. As long as your not spraying a metallic color you can sand and buff the heck out of it for a nice wet look.
 
Another thing to consider is the color of the chassis paint that you'll be using.. Did you see evidence of a non-black color on your frame?

While black is always a safe choice, many of the early cars had their frames painted in other colors. Triumph seems to have been a bit casual, and sometimes the works used body colors for painting the frame. I've seen red, powder blue, and primrose yellow as original paint colors, and I'm sure there are others. The Piggott books and other sources make reference to non-black frames, and one thing to note is that the frame color frequently did not match the body color of the car. The red chassis that I saw, for example, was on a black '55 short-door TR2.
 
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